Phosphorus-doped carbon nanoparticles supported palladium electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in PEM water electrolysis

Hydrogen production by PEM water electrolysis is one of the most efficient methods, due to the produced high purity of gases, high efficiency, and devoid of harmful emissions. In this study, phosphorus-doped carbon nanoparticles (P-CNPs) were synthesized by spray pyrolysis method in chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The synthesized P-CNPs were used as electron carrier support materials for the preparation of P-CNPs-supported palladium (Pd/P-CNPs) electrocatalyst and also used as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrode in PEM water electrolysis. These synthesized Pd/P-CNPs were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and cyclic voltammetry methods. The membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) were fabricated using Pd/P-CNPs as a cathode catalyst for the HER and RuO 2 as the anode for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The fabricated MEA electrochemical performances along with their corresponding yields of hydrogen production were evaluated in PEM water electrolyzer single cell assemblies at various experimental conditions. The obtained results showed that the synthesized Pd/P-CNPs observed a current density of 1 A cm −2 at 2 V at 80 °C. Further, long-term stability tested for up to 500 h continuously and showed the reasonable stability with similar electrochemical activity compared to commercial Pt/CB. Hence, the synthesized Pd/P-CNPs could be used as the alternative to Pt-based catalysts for HER.